Go darker than the tile. DO NOT go white. The rule is in general that you choose a darker than lighter color unless you want intentional contrast. I hope that is helpful? Good luck.

A bit weird looking with the pattern change as Marie points out.

The staggered look would have looked odd because we used bullnose tiles on the one end

Grout lines are about a quarter of an inch. I am a little concerned about that

In most cases you'd want your grout lines to recede, not stand out. Go with the main color in the tile. Looks like light to medium gray.

Match the grout color as close as possible to the tile. That way the mismatched tile pattern, stacked vs staggered, will be less obvious.

Thanks every one

With the tile laid out so unprofessionally, I'd have to know what type of waterproofing was used. Because there is no way that I'd set that in grout. Ever. It needs to be corrected. And it wouldn't surprise me to know that there was no waterproofing behind it.

Sophie, there is giro king behind the tile. Please elaborate on how this Gould have been done. I am debating on having someone else finish the job.

What is behind the tile? Do you have pics? $500 contractor?

The tile should be laid at a 1/3 offset and wrap the corner properly. That is a joke bizarro layout. Amateur all the way. Lippage wouldn't surprise me either. It should be redone. Not finished by someone else. Redone. From the waterproofing out. After the fatness and sureness of the wall is checked.

I got some references and portfolio but I am afraid I may have been misled. There is Cement backer board behind the tile. I am sick to my stomach right now realizing that I have to get this redone.

"Sophie, there is giro king behind the tile..." So there's a Greek restaurant back there?

Cement backer board can be fine for that purpose. I agree that the change in layout pattern is odd (and I don't like the accent strip; it distracts from the marble and looks very '80s to me, IMHO), but you can minimize the change in the pattern of the large tiles by doing a close color match of the grout, which will minimize the lines and blend it all together.

If youre liable for costs of redo I would sleep on it. Its not a typical pattern by any means, but i highly doubt you are in danger of leakage. Whether you redo depends on who is liable and what level of perfection you require. I just dont think leakage is your concern. And its not the worst shower Ive seen. Do some matching grout and good for years. (Or not)

Backer board ain't waterproof. If that is real marble, then you have a sponge on your wall against your studs. Even if it's ceramic or porcelain, it isn't waterproof. You have to have a separate waterproofing step.

Thank you for the advice. I will have to get this redone the right way. Arrrgh..

It's actually porcelain by the way.

I meant to say duroc(so)

I'm not an expert but we did our shower this summer, and I'd have used red guard or another brand over the backer board before the tiles.

My question, why can't they undo the one weird stacked eleall at the minimum? If he did a real shoddy job maybe the stacked tiles will pop off if you are lucky, if not I'd rip them off and redo. Sorry but it does look very weird. I'd stagger the tile like the rest of the shower surrounding. That way you'll not have to redo all of it just that awful wall.

As to the accent, it looks like your handyman/ tiler/ contractor must have copied the sample idea at the orange box hardware store. They show that style of accent with their. 68 cent 12 inch tiles, just saw it today. If you're going to redo it, I'd use a different accent not such a color change, it's way too dark and tiles too skinny, pattern too busy, and scrawny for the massive size of the rest of the tiles. Something less bold in contrast might be nice.

The way we did it is to lay a couple of rows of tile on the floor, which you can do at the store and played with accents till we got what we liked. You can bring your tilesson with you or if you are buying from them use theirs. Step away and look at it then look away and then look again.

I'm pretty crazy and all but I and my daughter did our shower ourselves, because the place I bought , some moron used lamented cardboard for a shower wall upstairs, causing it to rain downstairs. For a mom and daughter we did not do too bad. But I made sure to waterproof well. Which is priority. We're on a tight budget so my tiles are not the same as yours. But you get the point.

This isn't quite done but we were almost done

If you are not going to change it at all go dark grey grout lines so it matches that dark grey accent a little bit more, so accent doesn't stand out like a sore thumb as much. It's way too harsh a contrast of strip of dark grey with out more dark grey to even it out in that space. If you redo only the bad wall you could add a center focal potent and bring more darker gray in to balance off but that's more work but a nice way to manage a wall. Put a trim around accent riles with trim matching that grey. See my earlier post how we dealt with a wall and made it focus point . We layer all the tiles on floor to figure it out before trying it on the wall to make sure we'd like it. Good luck.

You don't want grout lines to stand out. If light they blend with the large tiles & little differences won't show. Not a fan of accent tiles so wouldn't want to use dark grout to accentuate. Then every grout line will pop. The way the tiles were laid has been called into question. Dark grout will draw attention to the pattern especially 1/4 inch grout lines.

Before you panic - Duroc makes many products for use in showers. Some require waterproofing, some are waterproof on their own. There is absolutely no way to tell from the photos you posted what was done, so it's all just speculation on the part of some posters that it was not done correctly. Don't freak out and rip it all out before you know exactly what was put in.

Feeling very disappointed ....

Question.... were you worried about anything but choosing the color of the grout before you came here? We you pleased with the layout and the way it looks before other people said it was wrong? If not, don't start worrying about it now..

I was concerned about the overall quality of the work in addition to the grout.

I agree with ep -- don't panic, find out what is behind the tile and then get an expert opinion on its value for waterproofing. It could be okay. I also agree with flopsycat that a grout that blends with the tile will diminish the grout lines and make them not so obvious. I will repeat what many others here on Houzz have said -- the grout lines and pattern are grabbing your eye because they are a new element in the room and it's all you see right now.

I don't think your accent tiles are all that bad, either. Pull some of the charcoal color out into the room (as vanity color, towels, picture frames, etc.) and perhaps add another color, and it will be fine, and maybe even stunning!. When all that is completed, the mismatched tile pattern will recede.

Good luck. Many of us have been in your shoes in one way or another during a renovation or remodel.

Not to rub it in but the tile job is really poor, especially the layout. In the long run it's going to leak and if you're planning to sell , the resale value is going to effected. ( somebody is going to redo the bath anyway but it shows a lack of professionalism which would make me or the buyer wonder what else was done poorly). Ok so rip out the stacked wall. You'll probably trash the backer board so reinstall that. Its easy to do and not expensive. all seams should be taped with nylon mesh tape, after that coat the cement board with a waterproofing product. There's lots out there. The some backer board is waterproof, some not but the "belt and suspender" approach in a shower is not a bad idea. Here is a You Tube video which shows you how it should be done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaCFA5reK9E. There are a lot of videos out there.

I don't know how the shower pan was done, membrane, mud job, or copper pan but I'd flood that thing a few times to see if leaks. Things can get really expensive down the road if it does leak. You may want to do it before you grout as the grout should not be the water proofing. The membrane/mud/pan should be doing the job. You could grout if you feel you're OK, but be prepared to dig it out if it leaks.

Good luck. You have to live with this a long time, do it right and enjoy the long lasting beauty and durability of it. When you're all done, take a nice long hot shower, have a glass of wine after.

Go to Hardiboard and USG sites and you will that they don't make mention of any waterproofing needed. They aren't waterproof but they are mold and water resistant meaning if they get wet they don't get damaged. A simple plastic sheet behind the boards is adequate depending on shower location.

That said Regard is dirt cheap and an easy application. Don't use plastic behind the boards if using a waterproofing on the front.

Tile job is what will fail and allow water intrusion.

This is obviously an amateur job. If it is someone you paid then yes demand it to be redone. Knock out every other row on the short walls and continue the offset. Use a sanded grout with those large grout lines which should have been 1/2 the size.

If you look it's a bathtub.... I get the feeling it will hold water.... and there's no way you can look at that and tell if it will leak... you cannot even see what was used under the tile. It could be CBU that wasn't waterproofed, but it could be CBU that was carefully covered in redguard, it could be a waterproof type board that doesn't need anything more than the proper taping, it could be Wedi or Shulter for all you can see... (if the OP hadn't said it was Duroc - but Duroc does a waterproof board as well as CBU)

Didn't see the tub. They usually do hold water :)

Computer monitors do not show colors accurately. From what I can see, I do not have a problem with the accent tile. I have seen that on newer showers in my area, so I don't see it as a mistake. Of course, none of us can see what is behind the tile - maybe a problem, maybe it is fine. I think if just the second and forth rows on that one short wall can be changed, the pattern will look better.

The large format tiles do have a problem with sometimes being bowed a bit and this can cause some lippage, but they also might be pretty flat - just run your hand along them and see if they feel flat. If they are nice and flat, that is a plus.

If that job was properly grouted and caulked, it would leak less than a teaspoon in 5 years! People have installed tub tile on ordinary drywall and often lasts decades. So dont rip it out for leakage.

Tell me again that you don't need proper waterproofing.

You want an installation that meets all TCNA standards. Buy a handbook and read it. It ain't expensive. And it is compiled from years of industry experience ripping out disgusting situations like that.

For clarification, USG Durock was used.

@Sophie W, You have a vivid imagination. OP has nothing that even resembles your photos. Anyone who has demo'd many old baths has seen those. Thats not tile. Trying to keep it real.

Sophie thank you for providing photos to prove my point. That is green sheetrock that was widely used in the 90's as a substitute for cement board. Problem is when the tile fails it crumbles and you are 100% correct it isn't waterproof. The difference is cement board and hardboard are and that would not occur. The felt paper or plastic behind it would redirect the moisture back into the tub or shower and there would be no failure.

I agree 100% about waterproofing but al lot of the products being pushed create more issues then they are worth. Also you can use a lot of the liquid or other waterproofing methods over sheetrock. Would I do it ? No, but is fixes the wall to shower backer issue.

If the tile fails the substrate gets wet. If the substrate is not damaged by water you then rely on the plastic/felt behind it. Look on USG or Hardibacker site there is ZERO mention of waterproofing needed even in the form a of a plastic sheet that is region code specific.

If it is a standard shower/tub you don't have to do it but for the extra $200 I agree why not especially if there are a lot of niches or odd shaped components. That does not mean someone who floats out a showers walls over felt to get dead straight and solid walls is not doing it properly. Think of all those 1930's installs done exactly like that showing zero signs or failure. Ever demo a bathroom in NYC from that era?

Waterproofing is needed but also one has to look at the application and not broadly say every job is junk that doesn't have a waterproofing between the substrate and the tile. By the way the above failed because they laid the board without a gap to avoid water wicking. If it was done there would have been no failure.

By the way at least 2 of those were not tiled installs they show glue not thinset.

Argue with the TCNA. Waterproofing is required. Just because a product isn't damaged by water, doesn't mean it ain't porous. Tile and grout are also porous. Mold grows on cement board as well as green board and wood. As anyone who has ever owned a cement block building, or slab shed knows. Concrete board is just a giant impervious sponge.

Not done right, You don't do staggered on one side and linear all lined up on the other.

exactly what bellburgmaggie just said. Look at the right side. tiles are laid on top of each other. now look at left side. tiles are offset in a brick pattern! Was the person who did this high??? You have two different layouts going on . Who was supervising? Was any mention of tile layout discussed? What did YOU want? Did anyone ask??

Horrible. needs to get ripped out. do not grout this mess. (when it is time to grout, use a light to medium gray).

And the cost is on the tile goofball, not you. I sure hope you haven't paid him yet.

get another, professional tile setter. Not a contractor or someone on his crew that lays tile. Get an actual tile setter.

I'm also curious how the thinset was applied. Was is back buttered w/100% coverage or spot method with dollops?

It was buttered with 100% coverage.

I got rid of the tiler and got went with someone else.

I won't rub it in more than everyone has already but good move on the new tiler. Agreed that a lighter tile would be best and smaller grout lines. Marble should have very small grout lines in my opinion.